Through Your Eyes
by Celestial Eight
Summary: "He could spend hours drowning himself in this azure depths, silently wishing to see the world like she saw it, to know what put the twinkle in this enigmatic yet so warm and open eyes." / When Chat Noir's wish comes true in the most twisted way he could have ever imagined, Marinette and Adrien learn how it is to walk in each other's shoes. Literally.[Adrinette/reveal/bodyswap]
1. Chapter 1

_So, here we are again with another idea that hit me about one and a half month ago, but with Christmas being overall busy, I didn't really get to write it down until now. So, what do we have here? Well, all those genderswap pictures floating around in fandom got me thinking: "This is all fine and well, but wouldn't it be even more hilarious if they swapped THEIR BODIES?" My brain thought it was, obviously, because it graced me with a load of mental images and funny situations that screamed to be turned into actual fanfiction. Yeah. The rest of the story should be pretty obvious to you. It spiralled out of control. Again. /D_

 _I will be honest with you, this chapter has been a bit of an ordeal for me. It's been ages since I've written anything else but fluff or PWP oneshots in English and so I really hope this one here turned out ok. And once more, a thousand kudos to my precious beta Ju. Without her sharp eye I would be lost in grammar – I rewrote some parts so many times that I sometimes failed to see the most obvious mistakes /D (Btw, she writes as well, check her stories at AO3, pen name's Saoto 030)_

 _...I should probably also mention that this takes place before the episode "Le Gamer"._

 _With that said, have fun reading, I'll try to post the next chapter ASAP owov  
_

 _(also, still trying to find a satisfiying way to smuggle two-line-spacings for PoV-changes in FFN's formating, 2k16 edition)_

* * *

Sometimes Adrien thought it was some kind of weird instinct coming from the powers of his ring that refused to become dormant when the transformation wore of. But he just had known that something would happen today and the feeling hadn't fooled him as he was now on the way to His Lady, transformed into Chat Noir.

Excusing himself from his basketball lessons with a feigned sprained ankle after receiving the news of another Akuma attack, he was doing his best to reach the scene as fast as possible. Ladybug had contacted him just a little ago, saying she would wait for him, that she possibly couldn't take on the enemy alone this time. There was a part of him that thought he should probably worry about an opponent so powerful that Ladybug, brave and strong, would not want to fight them on her own, but he couldn't really bring himself to be anxious. His heart was soaring high up in the Parisian sky as he chased over the roofs of the city, free of any concern. It was rare that she said she needed him, but when she did, he... it was something different than the blind trust in each other they shared in their battles... the simple fact that she wanted him at her side, him alone and nobody else, filled every fibre of his being with happiness.

Seeing Ladybug's small form appear in his field of vision, his steps turned into measured leaps. Although only a few housetops separated them by now, every second he was still running meant one second less he could bask in her presence. His paws touched the shingles below just faintly, thawing distance like feeble ice in the sun, until he was able to close the last few yards between them with a long jump. The feline superhero landed beneath her on all fours and then rose to his feet, slowly and dramatically.

"What can this dark knight in shining armour do for his Lady?" he asked, one corner of his mouth arching up to a confident grin. His gleaming green eyes lay upon her face and he couldn't help but love the way her forehead knit into a tiny frown at his words, a sceptic glimmer in her azure irises, and the twitching of her lips into the ghost of a resigned smile. Her face was always showing so much honest emotion, even with the mask covering most of the area around the clear, cloudless blue of her eyes. Those eyes which were always ablaze with determination, always sparkling – which were the sky he wanted to fall into. He could spend hours drowning himself in this azure depths, silently wishing to see the world like she saw it, to know what put the twinkle in this enigmatic yet so warm and open irises.

But who was he trying to fool, he would never run out of aspects nor reason of adoring, loving, appreciating her. Ladybug never held anything back, it always felt real, made him feel real, alive.

Her glance returned to the street, conveying the situation.

"Keep one of them distracted for me?" she replied after giving thought to his offer and let her hands come to rest on her hips.

"Them?"

He unlocked his eyes from the heroine and moved his attention to the scene. The villain they were about to battle was a pair of teenagers like themselves, twins in a strangely school-girlish get-up which made Chat Noir question Hawk Moth's idea of fashion not for the first time. Floating idly in the middle of the shopping plaza, the connection of their hands never broke as they shot beams of light from the palms of the other at whoever dared to step in their field of vision. Which weren't many people under the current circumstances.

"Well, that's new. What's their power?"

Her lips turned into a critical line and she shook her head. "I don't really know yet. We need to be careful."

Chat Noir nodded in return and was rewarded with a thankful smile. "Can I count on you?"

He grinned. "On every of my nine lives."

·

Ladybug took in the afternoon air with a long breath, steeling herself for the fight to come, as she watched Chat Noir chase over the roofs to the other side of the battlefield. She had been in the fabric store nearby and about to shop material for a new design when their new villain had appeared.

Or rather, the new villains. It was really a first for Hawk Moth to actively put two combatants against them and she could only guess about the reason. But no matter if it was because he was growing desperate or more powerful, she knew that this fight was not going to be an easy one. Especially since their current enemies' ability was another mystery to solve, as she had already stated to her partner. She scarcely had found a chance to interview the villains' victims that had fled the streets, and those few exchanges had resulted in a gutter of quickly spilled out syllables before the people had shoved her aside and ran as if the devil was behind them. More than once a nagging, overwhelming guilt from staying put like this instead of helping had her brought close to the point of throwing all care aside and picking up the fight alone. Sheer willpower had been the only thing that had kept Ladybug from acting against better knowledge and she was glad that her partner had arrived at last to even out their numbers.

It was strange enough, though, that the akumatized girls just seemed to take on pairs like themselves, and that those persons left the encounter unharmed - outwardly, at least, since there was this unshakeable feeling something significant about them had changed.

The teenager stopped musing when she saw Chat Noir's signal from a building afar. She raised her hand in return.

Whatever it was, time to put an end to this mess.

·

Chat Noir tested his muscles, felt their strength and flexibility amplified by the magical artefact on his hand, and let his shoulders roll back and forth. The trust the superhero had in both his partner's and his own abilities was unwavering, but this fight was sure going to be a bit of a hassle under the given circumstances. It was better if he didn't jump unprepared. He was eager to prove himself to His Lady, yes, but definitely not to ridicule himself in front of these beautiful, heavenly eyes. At any other time he would not have minded too much if it meant to entertain the girl he loved with those little, idiotic bouts he was somehow bound to fall into every now and then. Yet there was something almost tangibly different about the whole situation and he had learned to trust those instincts. No fooling around today.

At Ladybug's sign he somersaulted from the roof and landed gracefully right in front of their enemies. Their attention was on him in an instant. His lips arched into mocking sneer.

"Hey, Double Trouble!" he shouted, although the reaction he received was... not quite the one he had expected. An eerie silence spread across the battlefield and a moment of mutual, bewildered staring passed between them.

"How do you know our name?" the girls asked in unison which made Chat Noir almost lose his stance. WAIT. That ACTUALLY was their name?! For real? The superhero raised his brows below the mask, disbelievingly. Hawk Moth sure had some weird sense of humour. It was so much like his own, he realised, frowning in utter confusion, that he almost began to wonder if they were somehow related.

"Well, that's only one of my many _mew_ raculous talents," he replied, regaining his cool. "And another one is putting evil copies of the St. Clare's Twins into place."

"AS IF!"

The last remark had done its job. Anger clouded the pair's painted faces and the hands that weren't linked to each others' shot up. Watching the spheres of raw energy growing on their palms, the black-clad superhero reached for his staff and put himself in a fighting stance. He grinned viciously.

It was mere seconds after he had heard the signature sound of the uncoiling yoyo string that he saw a flash of red and how the wire slung around one of the twins. He waved that unfortunate soul goodbye when it was yanked away forcefully, the smirk still shining bright from his lips.

"Wha-?!" The surprise was clearly visible on the remaining enemy's face. But the Lucky Duo had only just started yet and the opponent Ladybug had left him on a silver plate would very soon come to know that. Before the cat's prey had a chance to gather herself, the teenager planted one end of his staff firmly on the ground. He sensed the familiar tug in his stomach when his body was pulled into the motion by the extending weapon which carried him away from the street and right towards the floating villain.

Wind hissed in the superhero's ears as his lean figure cut through void air with an amazing speed while waves of adrenaline washed through him, whispering promises of freedom. It felt like he was chasing for the sky – he could go higher and higher if he wanted to and fully dive into the excitement coursing through his veins. That very feline, feral part inside of him purred at the very thought and wanted to jump in readily, but he had too many battles behind him to know what this would lead to. Giving in to those tempting voices would only leave him dangling on his Lady's yoyo string one way or the other, rescued from a peculiar situation, and he didn't want that, couldn't allow that to himself today.

Today he would shine, he vowed silently and pushed his legs away from the staff so that his feet found home in the twin's stomach the moment he reached her.

The akumatized girl was knocked back and the air out of her lungs. She staggered – this gave Chat Noir the chance to swing around on the upper end of his baton and to assault her once more. This time, he managed to get a hold on his opponent's clothing and used the force of spinning motion to send her flying down to the street below.

Although he had lost not a single second to follow his enemy who had hit the concrete very hard, he still hadn't been fast enough. Shaking off her daze, she rolled out of his reach and quickly lifted herself from the ground. Double or Trouble – Chat Noir still hadn't decided on how to call his half of the twins he was fighting against – then detached a weapon from her back. The black-clad teenager first didn't really want to believe his eyes when he saw the net strung from laser-beams sizzling between the pear-shaped end of a staff, but this was indeed a very futuristic-looking Lacrosse-pitcher she was holding there. "Oh, you can't be serious..." he mumbled, before hauling himself into the next attack, crossing weapons with the girl. "...the thing with the St. Clare's twins was just a JOKE!"

·

A short glance to her partner was enough for Ladybug to recognize that this battle was going fierce on both sides, yet there was this unshakable feeling that she had chosen the more aggressive one of the twins as her opponent. Ever so often the heroine tried to attack, multicoloured, glowing balls cascaded down at her from the nightmarish edition of the sport tool her enemy had equipped herself with. There was quality and skill behind each hit, and although the small projectiles seemed to have a completely different effect than the double-shot rays the girls had cast at civilians... she wasn't exactly keen on contributing her body as a test subject to find out what said effect actually was.

Constantly oppressed in a state of defence, Ladybug had only scored a few blows so far from which half had been lucky shots and far from being strong enough to do any serious harm. Beyond that the heroine still hadn't made out the object the Akuma resided in.

Without that knowledge a Lucky Charm was out of question, too, and the twin would do hell to tame down her attack rate and leave chance to receive a better look. Ladybug gritted her teeth. Easy spelled different.

She gave up her rotating shield for a moment and threw the yoyo right into the direction of her enemy, but was deflected by a well-aimed, small sphere midway.

Recovering her weapon, Ladybug dived away from the counter strike and wheeled herself behind the next car. Its alarm bleared off when the balls smashed into the carbon frame before another shot hit the vehicle's electronic circuit and reduced it to a murmured blubber. Her opponent was good, the heroine had admit so much. Or maybe fighting alone was just harder.

She tried for a different tactic then. A dash forward from her cover and her yoyo was up again in a wild spin. Never lowering her defence she started to describe a circle around the akumatized girl with her run. If she made her turn just a little more and then quickly zipped back, she might be able to attack her exposed, unguarded rear.

The plan was simple to a point it was almost ridiculous and went amazingly well – until her back met an unexpected obstacle and she started tumbling. A rather ungainly hop to the side saved her from losing her balance, and stopping her approach for a moment, she twisted her head over her shoulder to see what she had bumped into. The teenager's eyes widened.

"Chat Noir? Shouldn't you be on the other side of the battlefield, keeping the second twin busy?"

"I am sorry, my dearest Buginette, but somehow I am always magically drawn towards you. Must be fate. I will go..."

"...DOWN!" The saccadic interruption to his speech came with Ladybug's shout and a yank to his bell, dragging him to the ground along with her. Two of the gaudy balls collided just above their heads and exploded, dusting their hair with glowing particles. Beneath her, Chat Noir huffed, the sound full to the brim with annoyance. He was back on his feet in an instant.

"What's their problem?! Are they sore that the teacher mistook them for each other in class?!" he shouted angrily while he dodged another wave of the multi-coloured Lacrosse-balls with his staff.

·

The attacks died down for a second and once more the expression of surprise graced the twins' faces. Chat Noir just gaped back. Bullseye? AGAIN?!

He felt Ladybug's gaze upon him, the blue irises burning holes in the dark leather of his suit. "I don't know how you do this, but you better stop before you cause trouble."

"It's not my fault they are walking clichés," he defended himself gruffly, but then a playful grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "...although, there would be an effective way to seal those lips of mine."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Less talking, more fighting." He couldn't help the sigh that bubbled up from his throat. It had been worth a try, although he was fully aware that this was neither the place nor the time for such flirtatious banter. He inclined his head to hint a bow. "At your service, My Lady."

They parted, each taking on their respective opponent again. The girls were close to eradicating the last of hard-won distance between them, and Chat Noir couldn't let that happen. But instead of being assaulted with la'crossfire, he unexpectedly was hit by fierce words first.

"You know nothing! You don't know how it feels to be mistaken for the other ALL THE TIME," she screamed and he realized that his last remark had rubbed upon a spot that better had been left untouched. The twin propelled herself up in the air again and then dived into his direction head-on, the basket of her pitcher filling rapidly with a rainbowy assortment of balls. The young superhero jumped aside as the first salve hit the ground. Asphalt burst and smouldered at the place where he had been moments ago. Chat Noir lips shrunk to a thin, stern line.

This was not good. That wasn't even going good. He quickly spun around to face the next assault but realized at once that he was no longer the target. Oh no.

·

"LADYBUG!"

It was the last she heard before Chat Noir's weight collided with her upper body, the force of motion pulling her off her feet. She muffled a surprised gasp against his shoulder when she was dragged into flight and his arms wrapped around her small figure, pulling her close. She felt his muscles grow tight as they hit the ground again, cushioning her from impact. The two entwined heroes rolled over the concrete, rubble and dust brushing over them, and it was only after they came to a halt that he loosened his grip. "That was close", her partner commented and pushed himself to the knees to give her room to scramble up. Ladybug was just about to drag herself out and up again the moment she saw it. Their enemies had descended right behind them, one pair of hands linked, the others raised, and aimed both at Chat Noir's back. Her blue eyes widened in shock. There was no time to think anymore, just to act as a ray of light detached from their palms. "Watch out!" she yelled and flung her arms around her companion, pressing him down and shielding him.

Ladybug felt an electric jolt on her skin and suddenly there was a sensation of being ripped apart. There were no other words for this – if there were any at all – it was like being struck by a thunderbolt that burned nerves, muscles and bones mercilessly. A stinging white as sharp as thousand needles to her eyes clouded her vision and her body went numb to everything but this agonizing pain that seemed to strip the flesh from her very soul. She screamed, screamed against that cruel fire consuming her insides. Her shrill voice mixed with another one right below her, yet the flicker of worry was washed away by another wave of pain, and so her clamour went on until there was no more air in her lungs.

She was not sure if she had passed out for a moment, but as she regained consciousness and control of herself again... something was different. The energy flowing trough her veins due to the transformation, this distinctive, strong current of power supplied by her Miraculous felt... more raw, unbridled and the weight of a body was pressing down on her.

She opened her eyes. "Chat..." The word got stuck in her throat. That was not her voice. "Ladybug?" THAT was her voice. With a sinking feeling in her chest the heroine's gaze shot to where it was coming from. And found two azure irises behind a red, dotted mask staring back in disbelief. Her hand rose. It was black-clad. Like the rest of her suit. Chat Noir's suit.


	2. Chapter 2

_First of all: I am positively startled – more than 50 follows on the first chapter PLUS 11 comments... I NEVER expected to receive SUCH a strong feedback. You guys are_ _ **paw**_ _esome. You don't know how happy this makes me. ;/^/;_

 _I'm sorry that I kept you waiting this long, but life became pretty hectic for me recently and will become even more hectic during the next weeks. On the bad side that means that I most likely won't be able to update before the end of February. On the good side... well... there is no good side. But you can always check my twitter ( AwesomePolska) for progress, I like to ramble a lot about my writings. XD_

 _I really hope I can live up to your expectations with this chapter. It somehow ended up to be pretty long (blame me for having too much fun at writing fighting scenes) and is heavily seasoned with LadyNoir. For everyone who is or was hoping on cute and awkward Adrinette: Behold, we are almost there, it's just around the next corner! o3ov_

 _Furthermore you'll all need to thank my awesome beta Ju – this chapter felt like editor's endgame for me and I'm endlessly grateful to have someone like her who patiently cleans up the wordy mess I leave behind. Without her this story wouldn't be the same._

 _(PS: I took account to the english dub, yes, but NOTHING will ever make me use the word de-evilize. Sorry. /D)_

* * *

He wasn't sure if this was a bad joke or a dream or both. This was her body. His Lady's body. There was no doubt about it, not a single one, and he knew it not only from the warm, lifting magic her Miraculous sent through his utter being. He was painstakingly aware of everything, of every oh so little detail.

The fall and rise of her chest, the light tickle of loose hair on the temples, the flutter of lashes against the mask when he blinked, the feel of the red suit on bare skin. Her skin.

Trying to steer away his mind from this devious thought, his quickly beating heart had already betrayed him and send a gush of scorching blood to his cheeks. The burning heat painted them just as red as the dotted spandex above.

He lowered his gaze, expecting a reprimand for his embarrassment and the all too obvious reason of it. Eyes fixed to the single, black spot on the back of the hand resting on his thigh, he felt the treacherous colour creep even further and so he waited. But no word left the heroine's lips, even after several moments passed. He glanced up again. The green behind the dark mask that interlocked with his now blue eyes looked shaken and shockingly vulnerable. Something told him he should make a witty pun, a reassuring comment, a ridiculous joke, anything for the sake of some normality between them.

He couldn't, he just wasn't able to. His mind was blank, still in the process of grasping what just had happened, and his attention constantly dragged towards the body that was not his own. And at the same time, now his very own.

A sudden demonic cackle of two gleeful voices then reminded them that they were still at the battle scene and their enemies far from defeat.

"Now you are you going to experience at first hand how it is when everybody thinks you are someone else," one of the twins drawled.

"No need to thank us," the other one continued mockingly.

"Don't worry, we didn't mean to," Chat Noir hissed before he sensed a movement beneath him and noticed the shift of night-coloured leather at the outer corner of his eye. He turned his head. Although puzzlement was still written all over her face, Ladybug's expression was stern again and she appeared to be a little more collected than previously. She peered at him and even if the whole situation couldn't have been more odd and surreal, there was one thing that all of Hawk Moth's dark magic would never be able to change. It was easy to read her intentions in that eyes so full of emotion, even when her soul shone from Chat Noir's very own irises right now. This sort of communication between them needed no words, it never had, and so their hands met, offering support to each other when they dragged themselves to their feet again.

"We need to defeat them and clean up this mess." It was strange to hear this command given by own voice when it was undoubtedly Ladybug speaking there. Yet he didn't question it since he was sure her smart mind was processing a new plan already. "With pleasure," he replied and reached for his staff absent-mindedly until he remembered that this was not his weapon of choice in this form. A crooked smile on his lips due to this small lapse, his hand then closed around the yoyo on his hip. Not a beat too slow, he figured quickly, as this was obviously the same moment their enemies decided that they had bathed long enough in the Lucky Duo's misery.

Two colourful balls chased towards the heroes, and as he evaded them with a back-step Chat Noir felt... lighter than usual. Less strong, but slightly more agile and he believed that when he swung up in the air, the wire of his fighting tool could carry him miles. He untied the yoyo, a spur of anticipation flaring through his chest - time to make use of those new abilities.

·

Ladybug groaned.

It had taken Chat Noir exactly ten seconds and one deflected attack to neatly wrap himself in the wire of his weapon and send himself to the ground. That was precisely what they needed right now. Not.

It would require both of them if they dared to hope to stand a chance against their enemies. She was quick to dismiss the idea of launching a simultaneous attack since it had become pretty much obsolete with her partner struggling like that anyways, and so she guided her steps in his direction – just to be stopped almost immediately by a glowing projectile that impacted right beneath her paws.

Gritting her teeth, the heroine directed a scowl at the twins and discarded her current plan as well. Exposing her back to their opponents for even just a second deemed deadly when there was nobody to protect it. Her companion would need to untangle himself alone while she kept their enemies at bay.

Determination let her grip around Chat Noir's baton grow tight, albeit there were traces of uncertainty in the green eyes. She glanced down to the black-clad claws with the argent weapon between it, her resolve wavering for just a second. It wasn't like she held onto this tool for the first time in her life, but little did she know how this weapon worked in detail. Chat Noir always used it with such ease, like a natural extension to his body, that it was easy to forget that there actually was some technology behind it. Five buttons assorted in the shape of a paw were embossed in its surface what meant there were four chances to get the wrong one. Okay then...

A keen dash behind the next lamppost prevented her body – well, basically Chat Noir's, but that was beside the point now – from becoming the designated target area for another salve of gaudy spheres. There was no time for guessing anymore. Trying her luck, she slammed one of the luminescent switches.

The baton's home screen slid open, displaying various functions and apps which waited patiently to be put into use. That... was not quite what she had promised herself from that action – she wasn't planning on calling her partner or searching the internet for "how to defeat your twin enemies in three easy steps".

Ladybug heaved a frustrated sigh while she sprinted away from her cover and circumvented the next set of hostile la'crosse fire, silently asking why that weapon couldn't be more like her yoyo – round and with a string attached to it. She hit another button.

Accompanied by a light jerk, the staff's ends now spread out with rapid speed and without control, nearly impaling her partner close by who was still fighting a hopeless battle against knotted wire. She heard the startled gasp as one end dug into the concrete next to him and glanced at Chat Noir apologetically.

Although he was the one who had roped himself up in a mess of indestructible thread she couldn't say she was doing better. The heroine had to admit that her intuition failed her on this one, she didn't know how to operate the baton properly.

With mild annoyance that was mostly directed at herself, she let the weapon zip back.

Maybe she should put her trust in a part of her companion she knew better, she saw day by day and that didn't need any special knowledge to make things work.

The raw force of the body she was stuck in.

Chat Noir's strength was something she had relied in so many times, something that often had felt like it was becoming temporarily her own whenever their hands linked during a fierce battle.

She eyed her opponents once more.

It was a dangerous jeopardy of perhaps, perhaps not, but if she managed to destroy one of the girls' pitchers with Cataclysm it would not only diminish the twins' advantage and tame down the frequency of the assaults, it would also improve Chat Noir's and her chances to get their hands on at least one of their enemies. And if they then could find the object the Akuma resided in...

It was literally the best card of the lousy hand she was holding and knowing the game master wouldn't be generous and allow her to draw a new one, she staked all they had onto it.

Activating the ancient power, Ladybug started running and released the baton from her hands with a well-aimed toss. The twins deflected the soaring weapon with ease, but the moment of distraction had been enough for the heroine to close some ground between them. Their eyes grew wide with surprise, they obviously hadn't expected such a bold attack.

Ladybug couldn't help the satisfied grin that crept upon her features, imaging just how much more surprised they would be when they realized that the teenager had even bolder things in mind. Claws out, she felt her body picking up speed. Wind brushed through the golden mess of hair, plucked playfully at artificial cat-ears and caressed the masked face. There was a pleasure in just running, in the powerful, drumming song of her heart and the strong muscles that remembered each movement perfectly. It was intoxicating and she pushed herself further, knowing she was still far from the limit that was possible with this energy.

And then Ladybug felt something else.

Each step was measured too wide, a miscalculation on her behalf from not taking Chat Noir's incredibly long limbs into account. She was getting faster by every inch moving forward. Too fast.

The twins were closing in, also too fast.

To avoid an uncontrolled collision which without a doubt would put her into disadvantage, she jumped instinctively. Only to remember the instant later that she didn't have her yoyo with her to swing out of the danger zone.

Damn.

There was a shocked cry from the voice that belonged to her own body. "WATCH OUT!" Chat Noir screamed. Too late.

With little grace she smacked against the next building where Cataclysm hit and destroyed one part of its wall. Rubble and dust engulfed her form as she fell back on the street, blinding her and stealing the air from her lungs.

Bedazzled, the teenager tried to get to her feet, because she knew that she mustn't loose any time, but the moment she tested her arms and legs she found her movement restricted by something heavy, felt a weight pressing down on her.

The heroine forced her eyes open. She had trouble to focus at first, yet as her surrounding's outlines slowly sharpened, one single look was enough to sober every chaos that the collision had caused in her mind. She stared right in the face of the akumatized girl she had fought with earlier.

A malicious grin distorted the youthful lines of her painted features before she turned her head to her sister.

"Look at them. And they call themselves a team. Ridiculous!"

There was another, sinister cackle and then her opponent's attention was back on Ladybug again.

"Now, for that ring of yours. I'll need it, part of the deal."

Ladybug squirmed under the iron grasp, her thoughts going miles per second, trying to come across a desperate plan. She couldn't let her take Chat Noir's Miraculous.

"W-WAIT!"

To the heroine's relief, her captor's hand actually stopped mid-air, hovering over the black-clad claws hesitantly. "What?" the twin snarled. Ladybug didn't answer. Her green eyes darted over the plaza frantically, searching for her partner and any clue that might prove useful.

She found her companion in the almost same place he had come to fall previously and although he had managed to free himself from most of the wire by now, the other twin kept him grounded, foot and pitcher planted on the back of his head and his spine. Rancour roared lowly in Ladybug's chest at this sight, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to be swayed by anger, she…

She stopped in her tracks as something clicked in her mind. Yes, anger was bad. If she were the one swayed by it. The twins on the other hand...

The teenager locked her eyes with the enemy that was occupied with her partner, addressing the twin directly. "Do you really want to leave all the glory to her?"

"What?" the girl asked and frowned.

"When you let her take the Miraculous, who do you think will be Hawk Moth's champion? You or she? Who do you think will receive the greater power of you two? That's what he promised to you, right?"

The girl seemed to contemplate her words for a moment. Then she took a step closer, abandoning Chat Noir. "Sis? Let me take the ring."

There was mistrust in her sister's face and a tangible shift in the energy between the two.

"Don't tell me you believe that garbage."

"Well, _you_ can prove me that _you_ don't by letting me take the ring."

"Why? You can have the earrings."

"Yet we are one and the same, so it doesn't matter who takes what, right?"

"Yes, and that's why I'll ..."

She was cut off harshly by her sibling's voice.

"Let me take the ring."

The other twin replied with a stubborn glare.

"I'll take it."

"LET ME TAKE THE RING!"

There was an abrupt lift of pressure on Ladybug's limbs, the girl wasn't pinning her down any longer but got to her feet. The heroine was clever enough to suppress the jerk of her muscles, a natural reaction to their newfound freedom, and lay still for some seconds more. A smouldering, dangerous emotion hung between the sisters and weapons were brought into place. With the first battle cry and the first clasp of Lacrosse pitchers Ladybug knew that this was not about her any longer, that whatever had caused this quarrel ran far deeper, and she was the last thing on their mind now.

Finding her own feet, she hurried to Chat Noir. His forehead was knit into a heavy frown while he worked himself through the ugly mess of knots around his legs, but when he noticed her approaching, his face lightened up instantly. Together, it was a matter of less than a minute to get him out the tangled wire. Ladybug helped him up and he turned, looking at the fiercely fighting twins.

"Well, that's a cat-fight. And I speak from experience."

Although she was rolling her eyes she couldn't help but feel a small wave of relief washing through her. If he was still able to make such horrible puns maybe not all hope was lost and the situation not as grave as it seemed.

"Watch out that you are not using too many puns while you are stuck in my body. I don't want my mouth to get used to them."

"But why, My Lady? They sound great coming from you."

She sighed. "Just don't, kitty. But we better find a safe place and work out a new plan," she declared, and after Chat Noir agreed with a nod, she reached for his wrist instinctively. Becoming aware of her action when the claws closed around his lower arm, she blinked and looked at the place where their body-parts linked. She hadn't meant to do this, but her partner's body must have grown so accustomed to this move that it had acted on its own. She now felt the fine, delicate shape of the wrist she was holding onto with this big hand. Was this how it felt for him, too, whenever he did this? For a second she wondered what it meant for him, this motion so trusted to him that his muscles remembered it even now. Then she shook her head.

There was no time for thoughts like this, staying here any longer could end fatal.

At her sign they started running.

·

The small alley between the tall buildings was filled with murky twilight and the reek of litter, yet Chat Noir couldn't have cared less for the decency of their momentary shelter. Eyes fixed on his Lady, it was still weird to see his own body act out all the small gestures and mimics that were so much like her. Now that they had time to catch a breath, the full weight of the events started to settle down on him. He could only fathom how strange this all had to be for her as well, recalled the shattered green he had stared into the seconds after the swap. Still, here she was, all strong and confident, while he... if it hadn't been for Ladybug, their Miraculous would long have fallen to the hands of Hawk Moth and ... he didn't finish this thought neither. But he had hated it, this feeling of helplessness, unable to aid the most important person in his life. If he just hadn't been such a disgrace to her bo-...

"Chat Noir? Are you listening to me?"

He had not. Obviously. He almost wanted to scold himself for how he had dared not to listen to her lovely voice before the teenager realized that he would need to raise it by himself to hear it. The emerald irises in front of him described a full circle, a motion so typical for the spotted heroine. He offered a sorry smile in return as there was not much else he could do. She looked at him sternly.

"If we want this to work, you must be the one who does the cleansing part today."

He wondered how she could still be so sure about this after she had seen his poor display of skill with her weapon. He just prayed that those movements were just engraved in her muscles as they were to his inner eye and this combined memory was enough to summon a Lucky Charm and catch a butterfly.

"I'll do my best to cover your back. I suppose the Akuma is in an object somewhere close to their body, a bracelet or necklace maybe, and once I get a hold of them..."

"...I will purify the Akuma," Chat Noir concluded, but not without a strain in his voice. Of course she noticed it. She always did.

"You don't look happy."

"...I won't be able to protect you," he replied flatly and evaded her gaze, hands clenching into fists. Tips of jet-black hair veiled part of his sight as he lowered his head. This whole, tattered construct what called itself a plan felt rather like clinging to a forlorn hope and he didn't like it. Not at all. He knew Ladybug wouldn't chose this way if there was another possibility and this was what scared him. He was scared of failing once more. And even more of losing her due to that.

Chat Noir's eyes shot up again when he felt the weight of clawed fingers upon his shoulder. Her expression was soft like freshly-fallen snow and her smile encouraging like the first ray of sun after a long rain. It didn't befit his face.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Protect my body," she explained and nudged him gently, "will you do that for me, kitty?" He couldn't help but mirror the arching of her lips, star-struck by her kindness and wise words like so often. It took so little of her to make him feel strong – it was amazing. She was amazing.

" _Paw_ sitivley yes," he promised before he quickly shoved a hand in front of his mouth, realizing that another pun had escaped him.

Albeit a faint sound of resignation made it past her lungs, she didn't dwell on it this time.

Ladybug pushed herself off the wall, ready to return to the battle scene.

"Be careful with the yoyo this time," the heroine instructed him and below all strength there was a hint of anxiety, revealing that beyond everything she was very well aware of the odds.

Yet he met her gaze with confidence. He was not going disappoint her again.

"Got it."

·

They stopped at the corner of a big building which front was facing the shopping plaza.

Ladybug raised her hand, preaching caution to her partner silently.

She could only guess what would await them out there. In the best case the twins were still going hard on each other, exhausting themselves. In the worst case they had stopped their quarrel as soon as they had noticed that their prey had gotten away. Not that there was much other choice than to take what they were offered in the first place.

Careful not to be seen, she peeked around the edge of the tall house, monitoring their chances.

And there were... none.

Not in the terms of that they wouldn't stand a second against their opponents, but by the very meaning of the word itself. Whatever favours there had or not had been for the Lucky Duo had simply diluted into thin air along with their enemies.

The akumatized girls were nowhere in sight and the plaza stretched lonely and deserted before the heroes' eyes. Ladybug frowned, not quite believing the sight. Was this a trap?

She gestured Chat Noir to follow her with caution. They emerged from the space between the two buildings, keeping themselves close to the walls, but still... nothing. No attack, no mean laughter, just... nothing. The silvery baton laying abandoned on the street and a tear in the pavement along with a destroyed car were the only remainders of the fight that had just occurred here. The silence around them was almost suffocating.

The heroine exchanged a clueless look with her companion before the green irises searched the streets, the houses, the roofs and the sky once more. Still nothing.

A feeling she didn't like started to make itself home in the pit of Ladybug's stomach and with a tinge of fear tugging at her heart, she inclined her head to a nearby park deck. Maybe a change of perspective was helpful.

Having Chat Noir operate the staff, they got up to the top in no time, but except for some cars it was empty, no signs of human or non-human activity anywhere. Only from afar she could hear the bustling sounds of the cars and horns, yet this was nothing more than the usual afternoon traffic slowly thickening. The air was calm and peaceful and the sun was shining.

"They are gone." The words dropped heavy from her lips and a shiver crawled down her spine, a slow-spreading cold that made her shudder.

A serene scenery like that could only mean that the twins had left the area.

"Chat? Can you give me my yoyo? I need to check the news." There was a stutter in the gears of her mind, a wrenching sensation she just couldn't shake, something was not right and not running round. Only in retrospect she noticed how she hadn't called her partner by his full name, her words coming out raw and unfiltered and with an intimacy she never granted to herself under normal circumstances. If Chat Noir had his own thoughts about this, he didn't let them show. He handed her the weapon, face stern, and she lost no time to slide the display open. But as Ladybug started to browse the social media and broadcasts, one word loomed over all her efforts yet again: Nothing. No word of new attacks or sightings of the akumatized girls. It was as if the ground had swallowed them up by whole. Like they never existed in the first place.

And when a well-known beep cut through the silence, she realized that this wasn't the worst.

It came from Chat Noir's ring and with painful clarity the events that had caused the downfall in its magic came back to her. She was already three beams down now, she hadn't even noticed the previous alarms with all the ruckus that had been going on around them.

The chill creeping through her veins now seized her chest as well, snuffing out the comforting fire of her heart all too easily. Ladybug inhaled sharply.

So far, luck had always turned to their favour, always had them succeed before the situation had become gravely peculiar. The perfect balance between Chat Noir's strength and her wit had formed an unity that had been able to tip every scale.

Things just had worked out. It had been like an unspoken rule that had applied to all of their battles. The realization that this might be different this time hit her hard.

"I..." Ladybug said, a shaky, apologetic smile curving her lips as she searched his eyes.

She knew this was her fault, she had activated the power and ignored the consequences in blind trust to their shared fate.

"Maybe we can..." Chat Noir tried, but was interrupted when the Miraculous on his ears reflected the sound of the ring mere seconds before, signalling that their magic was depleting as well.

"Oh no..." she heard Chat Noir utter breathlessly, the expression on his face conflicted.

There was a sudden trouble in breathing for Ladybug, the air in her lungs thick with ice that cold fear had put there. She tried to fight it back, to keep a clear mind, she had to think of a plan to avoid the worst possible outcome – being well aware how hopeless her efforts were.

The cookies to replenish Tikki's energy lay forgotten on the counter of the bakery, so a recovery right on the spot was out of question, and even if they found a bakery in this area, one reflecting surface was enough to make her partner catch sight of her real self somewhere along the way.

And searching for the twins in the bit of time that was left until the transformation wore off was nothing but a suicide commando in their current state.

"I don't mind," Chat Noir said suddenly, giving her the warmest of looks that melted the thwarting sheet of frost that had wrapped around her insides and soul.

"What?" she asked flabbergasted.

"I don't mind if you see who I am," he elaborated, although his eyes were exactly those she made in front of Adrien, unable to keep contact, hiding away shyly. It took Ladybug a moment to process his words.

"Are you sure?" she asked carefully, whereas he slowly nodded.

·

Yet he was lying through his teeth.

He desired nothing more than to know who she truly was, yes, and along with that came the wish that they one far-off day would be able to lead a life beyond and without their masks, he couldn't deny that neither. But this was not how he had wanted it to happen.

Not that forceful and not... not as long as he wasn't sure who her radiant eyes would fall upon when the transformation wore off.

Would she look at him the same after she knew his civil persona? Would she only see Adrien Agreste, the perfect, flawless model everyone in Paris knew or... who he truly and really was?

Would she start to treat him differently, cushion him, pretend to love him because he was... because of who he was outside the suit? Would _he_ be able to let go if he knew that in everything he did she saw Adrien?

Albeit he was conscious of the shallowness of some of his fears that concerned a person that was far from being shallow, Chat Noir couldn't help them, and so he searched her face.

The finely cut features were still his own, but he saw beyond that, saw the worries he had meant to ease with his words. More than once during their partnership he had seen the flashes of fright on her face in moments a reveal had perched close, and today had been the worst.

He couldn't bear it, seeing her like this. It was a smile that belonged to her lips and a gleam brimming in her eyes. Pushing down this timid part that pertained his Adrien side to the darkest part of his mind, the young hero decided to go a step further, well aware that there was no turning back when he ventured that road. He breathed in slowly.

"I can keep my eyes closed until our kwami recharged and we are able to transform again. That way I won't even get a glimpse of how you really look like."

Her face fell flat with surprise, even more than before. In a way it hurt, being closer to her civil self than he could ever have fathomed and still strapped off the chance to learn more about the girl he loved, but Chat Noir knew he was doing the right thing, recognized it in the softening lines of her face.

To his surprise, she then shook his head.

"That's noble, kitty, but..."

She lowered her gaze.

"... that wouldn't be fair."

Her words and tone left no room for interpretation and a positive shock spread through his veins, pulling at the corners of his mouth. "My Lady, just as always."

She denied his words with another shake of her head, her decision not compelled by her righteousness. Not alone at least. And when she spoke up to him, for the first time today he felt like things were going to be okay again.

"We are a team. You are one of my closest friends and my partner. I... trust you."

There was a moment of silence in which Ladybug nervously brushed a blond lock out of her face. "I hope you aren't too disappointed when you see the boring, plain old me..."

Chat Noir frowned and a crooked, doubting smile toiled his lips. He would have loved to know who put stupid thoughts like that in her pretty head. His expression softened.

"You could never be boring, no matter in what form."

"Thanks, but there is really nothing exciting about me."

Protest became loud in him, but before he could utter it, there was an uncharacteristic downfall in the shine of her eyes that threw him off his tracks. "Aren't you scared?" she asked, not sounding like Ladybug at all. Not even sounding like him.

He had to do something. He couldn't let her go on like this, so he grinned.

"Only that you will never wake up again after you have seen my stunning, true face."

"Oh please, not this one again..."

·

She saw another spot on her earrings blink rapidly and vanish.

Marinette had dreaded this moment ever since she became Ladybug.

She hadn't lied when she uttered her belief that her civil self was someone who never could live up to the expectations that everybody had in Ladybug – albeit that was the lesser of her worries. The easier one to concentrate on, to not let the bigger fear of the two dominate her mind.

Even if there had been times she wanted to come clean with all the secrets, she had always refrained from giving in to that longing. Everyone who carried this important piece of information was not only in danger, a possible target for Hawk Moth – but was also a danger themselves. She trusted Chat Noir with her life and although she was sure he could take care of himself – mostly – only one verbal slip up was enough to put everyone she loved in danger. Her Family, her friends and classmates... Adrien...

This was why she had always shied away from her partner's question in this regard and he had learned to respect her wishes. Even more, he had never stopped fighting to protect that secret, up to the point where he now stood in front of her, ready to sacrifice the biggest secret of his own. He was such a stupid cat. In the company of a bug who was probably just as stupid as him.

"Do you want me to stay transformed until your transformation wears off on its own?" he asked when the fourth paw-beam died in green light and sound.

"... no. As I said, we are a team and we are doing this as a team. Together."

His smile was vibrant and she found her own mood lift as well. He sometimes was a little too transparent, but she figured that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She felt herself relax a little. "You'll need to say: Tikki, spots off," she then explained.

"Understood. And you: Plagg, claws in."

Telling herself that everything would work out somehow, she suddenly saw a set of small palms offered to her. Her gaze rose and he winked, encouragingly. Understanding his intention, she rested one of the black-clad claws on his hands. Together, the sky-blue irises said. She nodded.

"Well then..."

Ladybug closed her eyes.

"Plagg, claws in."


	3. Chapter 3

_…_ _when people rave about how great adult life is: Don't believe them, they are lying. Really, oh my god, my life has been such a chaos the last four months, I don't know where to start. Job life had been especially stressful and left me close to no energy for writing and I feel so guilty because I never intended to keep you waiting that long. ;_;_

 _Especially after the number of followers and comments has more than doubled after the last chapter… like, h-how and why … I'm still speechless; I don't deserve you, really. ;/;_

 _I really hope the new chapter makes up for the long wait – there is a lot of content and stuff going on this time. I meant to post it even earlier, but as so often, the story had its own plans with me /D' (And my beta's life is just as messy as mine atm, so I'm eternally grateful she found some spare time to clear that piece from the worst mistakes.) Plus, after Origins came out, I had to adjust some parts that were already finished so they wouldn't object canon. Guess that's what you get when you take too long. /D'_

 _For myself, I'm not entirely fond of the chapter – less because of the content but more because of my style, I feel like the long periods of time where I wasn't able to write anything at all sort of damaged it. OTL. Or maybe I just have been working on that thing for too long. But I REALLY look forward on writing the next chapter. It contains some of my favorite scenes so far. XD But enough blabber, after all, you not came here to read my laments but the new chapter, so here we go X/D_

* * *

It took the powerful magic that filled Marinette's inside less than a second to retract from her veins. Without the presence of Chat Noir's kwami enveloping her, she felt very human and very ordinary again, and while she heard the little beings utter an exhausted sigh nearby, she searched for the courage to open her eyes. It had been easier to say all these words as Ladybug, but now they had given up their heroic forms, that more fearless side of herself seemed to be even further away than the distance of a swapped body. She bit her lip, trying to fight down the uncertainty welling up inside her. Had this really been the right thing to do?

"Marinette?" Tikki asked after a few moments and sounded as if she was in a daze.

"Adrien?" another, scratchier voice inquired just an instant later.

And all of a sudden, the reveal was the least of her worries.

The bakers' daughter felt her heart stop, plunge from her chest and crash down to earth through all the five stories of the parking lot. Adrien was HERE?!

Her eyes flew open, chasing over the deck in a frenzy as her mind was flooded by pictures of how the scene would look like to her crush: she – Marinette – merrily holding hands with another guy, and Adrien would think she and Chat Noir's civil self were liaised, and kind and sweet as he was, the teenage model would probably wish them luck and go off and marry Chloe and then Adrien who... who ... who was not here at all? She frowned, the tide of panic that had risen in her stomach sinking low again with nothing to grasp on. Once more her emeralds searched the area, now in a slower pace, but her classmate was nowhere in sight. Trying to make head and tails of the situation with growing confusion, her eyes returned to Chat Noir who was looking quite Marinette and pretty nonplussed. Why would someone call Adrien's name when he wasn't ... around?

She hadn't even fully executed her last thought when her irises fixated on her partner in a terrific flash of revelation. She didn't dare to breath nor to move. NO.

Forcing her glance down to their entwined fingers, she found a somewhat familiar silver ring on those that now belonged to her body, a bare arm as she moved it further, glimpses of a basketball-attire... and then something in her mind crashed and fractured. Battered pieces of her world rained from up above as she kept staring into the void opening up around her.

Marinette knew those training clothes – knew who was supposed to have basketball lessons right now. And those big and warm and gentle hands. They... they...

NO WAY.

She pulled herself from the clasp as if burned. "A-A-A-A-AAAAAA-ADRIEN?!"

The smile on her partner's features was shy and sorry and most definitely that of the boy her heart belonged to.

"... I guess the cat is out of the bag?" he replied carefully with the worst situational and clichéd humor that could only come from a Chat Noir.

OH GOD, IT WAS REALLY HIM.

Her mind flew back to all those many moments during her partnership with Chat Noir. All those times she grabbed him and flung him around. All those times she rejected his advances and had teased him. All those times he had been SO CLOSE, THEIR BODIES PRESSED TOGETHER IN THE TURMOIL OF THE BATTLE. THAT ONE TIME SHE HAD KISSED HIM. OH GOD.

She went down, hugging her knees and gaping wide-eyed into blankness.

This... this... this ...this was a bad joke. One of those dreams that felt too real. Right?

·

In all those months of longing she had only been a heartbeat away. From the whirlwind of emotions reeling inside of him due to the staggering truth, this was the only clear thought he could grasp. She had been there. In plain sight. Day after day.

Marinette. It was Marinette.

Happiness sparked in his chest and he was so very relieved that from all the people she could have been it was her, this amazing, brave girl from his class. And yet...

He didn't know what he ultimately had expected from the reveal, but most definitely not the complete horror in her face. It pained him. He would lie if he said that he hadn't noticed how for some unknown reason Marinette was strangely intimidated by his civil persona Adrien Agreste, that he wasn't aware of how she tripped over her own words in his presence when she usually was strong enough to stand her ground even against Chloe's quirks. He always had tried his best and kindest to take that from her, to be the friend he had promised himself to be to her that rainy day back then, but this...

He looked at her once more, torn. Chat Noir would have tried to lighten the mood with one or two puns, but he was not Chat Noir now. He was not even Adrien anymore in a way. Stripped from his mask, the two sides of him had clashed , leaving him abandoned in the middle and without a plan on how to act. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be ok, but watching the terror in these emerald eyes, he didn't know if this was really the right thing to do in this situation.

 _·_

"My La... Marinette?"

Marinette snapped from the train of thoughts that was spiraling down right towards hysteria. She looked to her partner. At Adrien. His hand was outstretched in her direction and the expression on his face apologetic and conflicted. A part of Marinette wanted to back off and retreat. She just wasn't ready yet, hadn't been prepared for that kind of outcome at all... yet seeing the broken light in his eyes put a stinging pain in her heart she just couldn't ignore. Before her stood a lost and lonely boy with no sign of neither confident, cocky Chat Noir nor gentle, considerate Adrien. She let out a shaky breath. "I..."

Carefully and slowly, she raised one of her hands and rested it in Adrien's palm. There was a pull and her body followed the motion automatically. She came to her feet, but averted her gaze, unable to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I... overreacted. I... I never ..."

A scratchy voice saved her from searching further for the words she just couldn't seem to find.

"Sorry for interrupting, but we are still here. And I'm hungry."

"Plagg," Tikki literally hissed, "don't you think there is something more important?"

"Nope. But I gotta admit... that's quite a mess you two have gotten yourself into this time," the cat-like kwami said, crinkling his tiny nose critically while the green irides wandered between the two detransformed superheroes. The look Adrien gave his small friend spoke volumes and with the shake of his head, the magic creature lifted from the ground and flew towards him. Different to Tikki who remained on the ground. The usually chipper kwami stared at the concrete silently and seemed to hang onto some heavy thoughts. With a feeling what those might be, Marinette crossed the few inches between them and picked her up.

There was remorse in Tikki's blue eyes when they met with hers at last.

"I'm sorry. I really tried, but I... I wish I would have been able to prevent this from happening."

She patted her tiny friend's head, couldn't bear seeing her like that. Marinette mustered a smile.

"I know, so don't apologize. It's not your fault."

"She's right, Tikki. It's not like there was something we could have done. No need to fret about that one." The commentary had come from none other than Plagg. His legs casually dangled from the cupped palms of Marinette's own body and his posture was relaxed as if the whole situation didn't affect him at all.

But it was obviously not because of this indifference that Adrien frowned at his kwami. Much to Marinette's surprise the contrary was the case.

"You are unusually compassionate today," her classmate remarked.

"She has been my partner for centuries, who do you take me for?" the catlike creature retorted, sounding mildly offended.

"Well..." Adrien uttered in a very Chat-Noir-like way and this was the moment the baker's daughter pulled her attention away from the exchange. Her eyes returned to Tikki. The kwami looked a little brighter, but still thoughtful.

"What are you going to do now?" her dotted companion asked at last, reminding Marinette that, regardless of the initial shock rooting in the reveal, there was still another problem to solve.

"Once we get a hold of the twins everything will be back to normal, right?" Marinette inquired in return although it was needless to say that with the knowledge both of the teenagers gained mere minutes ago, 'normal' had become a very elastic term.

"You have a plan?" Adrien asked curiously. The interruption came unexpected, sending her heart into another of those well-known, tumbling flights and almost making her jump in the tightly laced basketball-shoes. She _knew_ those talks were not unusual for them as a team, but... this was also Adrien. The boy with a laugh that was like the sun after a warm summer rain, the boy whose kindness had shaken her world like thunder and turned it upside down, making her drop towards the sky whenever he was around. The boy whose gentle hands had touched her very soul, the boy she completely and irreversibly had fallen for.

Yet, this was still Chat Noir. Flashy, dramatic, punny Chat Noir. Her partner, her friend and one of the reasons she was still standing here as Ladybug today. In the farthest sense at least. Selfless Chat Noir. Flirty Chat Noir.

At least that was what she was trying to tell herself, but...

"Marinette?" her name left Adrien's lips as a question, signaling that she had been gazing into depths of her inner clamor a little too long.

"I'm..." she tried to find her voice. She fought back all the chaos rioting inside of her and cleared her throat. "... not sure."

Two sets of blue eyes and one of iridescent green, all three full with expectation, now lingered on her.

The bakers' daughter looked at Tikki and Plagg, at the black earrings and the silver ring. "Maybe..." she mumbled, her eyes returning to her kwami. "Can't we just trade our Miraculous and chase after them?" Tikki's gaze dropped once more.

"Sadly, it is not that easy. You know, you two have been chosen, but there is more to it."

"More?" Adrien asked – this was news to him as well, obviously. Tikki nodded.

"More factors, yes. And of those, quantic energy is the most important."

The clueless faces of two Miraculous holders appeared to be enough for the dotted kwami that she felt herself inclined to elaborate.

"Quantic energy is... it's like a code written into every cell of your body, determined by the experiences you made throughout your life."

"Like... DNA?" Marinette asked cautiously, whereas Plagg piped up.

"Sort of, yeah. Adrien wasn't chosen as my partner just because they were sure I would get lots and lots of cheese from him."

"Well, thanks", she heard Adrien mutter under his breath, mildly surprised her voice could reach such depths, before Tikki picked up her speech again.

"It's like an energetic fingerprint, unique to every living being. And as you know, it's us kwami in connection with the Miraculous who amplify your very own powers. This is possible because – how do I say it – we have a similar 'wavelength', we add up. And while I believe that Adrien is a very nice person, I fear I won't be able to sync with him... or his body, so to speak. What doesn't mean the transformation wouldn't work at all," the magical being added quickly after hope had left Marinette's eyes all too quickly. "It's just... both yours and Chat Noir's powers would be weakened at best because the quantic link isn't as strong and sort of forced. Maybe this would change if you remained long enough that way, Marinette, so that you overwrote the 'code' in Adrien's cells..."

"Ahaha, no, we… we definitley don't want this..." she objected with a nervous smile before she glanced back at her partner, noticing him staring at her. Well, herself staring at Adrien. Adrien staring at her, in her body. GOD, this all was still so confusing.

Yet, Tikki's revelation was a bit of a bummer. Both Chat Noir and she herself had proven that they weren't the best at handling each other's powers and she doubted it could be solved in a matter of minutes. But fighting with only half of their strength, as Tikki had pointed out, did sound even less promising if they aimed for victory. She felt a headache rising.

"But what do we do now? It's clear as day that we can't chase down the twins neither way and it's also getting late. Our parents..." Marinette gasped audibly and clasped her face, the memory hitting her hard. "Oh my god, MY PARENTS! They are sure worrying already; I said I would be back right after I grabbed the stuff I needed!" Her eyes sought for Adrien's. What would she tell them? How was she going to explain THIS?! She gulped.

"Should... I call them and say everything is alright?" he inquired.

"Yes! No!" She sighed. "They will know what's up the second I show up like this anyways." This was going to be great. Worrying her parents right now as the news were without doubt covering the recent Akuma attack currently, worrying them even more later when they saw that their daughter had become a son and even if she managed to revert everything back the way it was supposed to be, leading the double-life of Marinette and Ladybug would become even harder since they sure would keep an closer eye on her after those events.

"How... about we trade roles then? Not just bodies, but also our lives," Adrien suggested warily. "Just as long until we've figured out what to do about the Akuma."

He forced a faint smile that was meant to be reassuring. Her heart would have come aflutter at the sight if the idea hadn't been so entirely ludicrous.

"That's ... crazy! That will never work out. How..." She stopped, all confidence leaving her body. "...how could I ever be you?"

How could she ever be Adrien Agreste, the most famous teenage model in whole France, incredibly kind and good at fencing, piano, basketball and literally everything that he began?

Who was the talented son of her biggest role-model, the worldwide-known Gabriel Agreste?

Who... at the same time was Chat Noir, her trusted partner, strong, swift, suave and punny?

The expression on Adrien's face crumbled and withered and he lowered his gaze. "Right. How could one ever be me?" He almost whispered those words, and although barely audible to Marinette, they sounded bitter. He shook his head. "Sorry, it was a stupid idea. It's just that my father..."

He tried to put up a front, but beneath the all too thin surface, there were layers of fear mingled with disenchantment and Marinette cursed her clumsy mouth. Her words sure must have sounded like an insult for him and, argh, could this day get any worse?

Turning her mind around for an apology, it was Tikki who ended the girl's frantic search at once.

"I don't think it's a stupid idea. I think it's the best solution for now," she said.

Marinette's eyes grew wide.

"But what about the Akuma? Can we really just leave like this?"

"We are all not in the best condition to fight and we shouldn't exhaust ourselves any further." She flew up on face level. "It has been a lot to take in today. Let's go home and rest for a bit until we hear of our enemies again." The red kwami then giggled. "I believe that won't be until tomorrow."

"What makes you so sure?" the bakers' daughter inquired, a bit befuddled by her kwami's sudden amusement.

"There used to be a Ladybug and Chat Noir who were twins, too. One time they got in such a serious argument that it took Plagg and me days to have them work with each other again. Hawk Moth is most likely facing the same problem currently," she explained with an expression on her small face that was nothing else but malicious glee.

Marinette just gulped, she couldn't share Tikki's joyful mood. "Days...?"

"Don't worry. I don't think it will take that long to get you two back in your respective bodies."

The formerly raven-haired teenager could only pray that her small friend was right. Not only that Marinette was still chewing on literally everything that a possible impersonation of Adrien meant, there were also two super-villains on the loose and it was only a matter of time until they became a threat for the inhabitants of Paris again.

She felt uneasy in more than just one way. And yet... her gaze returned to Adrien. Her classmate seemed to be lost in deep thought and once more there was this troubled expression on his face, making Marinette realize that this was not only about her. The word 'team' echoed in her mind, reminding her of the promise she had given just mere minutes ago. Slowly, a resolve manifested inside of her.

·

"Hey."

It was his very own voice that suddenly broke into the silent world of his mind. Contemplating with himself how he should approach his father - without the result that his old man locked him up in the manor again until he was legal, out of fear something like this could happen anew - he had stopped listening to his partner's and her kwami's discussion. He jerked a little before he noticed that she had drawn a step closer. He gathered himself as quickly as possible, but a strange nervousness at the pit of his stomach remained. He found it hard to meet her gaze and looked down again after he had glimpsed up. „Hey," he replied, wondering what was wrong with him all of a sudden, why he felt so flustered in immediate vicinity to his love.

Although the sensation was quickly replaced by surprise.

"So... about the role change ... it seems like we are really going to do this, aren't we?" Marinette asked, what left him staring at her involuntarily. For one who had been so entirely opposed to the idea at first this had been a quick change of heart. A wave of guilt washed through him – he feared it was because of him or the pity he felt for him, that he had pressured her into doing something she hated. And Adrien rather would spend his next few years within the walls of the manor than to take the freedom of choice from her. The long, dark lashes batted against his skin as he shied away from her eyes for a second. "Only if you..."

Marinette shook her head and there was resolve behind the motion.

"It's actually a good plan. We don't know when and where the twins will show up again and it's better to avoid any unnecessary attention until then. Hawk Moth only knows that Chat Noir and Ladybug have traded bodies but not... us."

He smiled shyly and couldn't help to awe how she had thought through everything in that short matter of time. "I should have realized far sooner that it's you...," he said. The words came without restraint, from his very core that was neither Adrien nor Chat Noir but his truest self. This was really the girl his heart belonged to, no matter what name she bore, he thought while his cheeks came aglow with heat. If he hadn't looked away bashfully, he would have had recognized the same red on Marinette's face as well.

"Eh...ehm...a-a-about my home..." she stuttered, before Tikki then chimed in and took the lead.

"I'll help you to get along, don't worry. And Marinette's parents are very nice people."

His face expressed gratitude as he nodded. The smile that adorned his features, however, sunk when his kwami wasn't responding with the same vigor Tikki showed. His gaze shifted, eyes narrowing.

"... Plagg?"

The feline quantic god drew his non-existent eyebrows together.

"What? It's not like there are many people who…"

Before his companion could finish his sentence, Adrien plugged Plagg from his shoulder and stared at him intensely. Although the teenager was used to his friend's antics, this was not the time to display lacking motivation. Not to mention that this was not exactly the kind of impression he wanted to make towards his crush.

"Ok, ok. No need to get angry. Just make sure she gives me enough cheese," Plagg grumbled, his emerald orbs straying away in a sour manner.

Marinette offered Adrien a lopsided grin. "Is he always like that?"

The model uttered a small sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry that you will have to deal with him."

Above the sound of Plagg's protest Marinette's half-suppressed chuckle was like a ray of light to the still heavy mood. She bit her lip to restrain her amusement and looked at him with a spark in her eyes that reminded Adrien a lot of Ladybug. Even if those bright irides were green and not that magnificent blue.

"Well, let's say I'm used to deal with strong-headed kittens."

A sheepish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth and for a moment, everything felt normal again.

"Well then..." Marinette continued, whereas Adrien nodded. "Tell me everything you can think of..."

·

The sky had wrapped itself in the evening colors of red and gold with accented strokes of violet, shining bright against the dark silhouettes of the buildings that rolled past the bus' windows. Public transportation had been a complete mess after the twin girls' attack and it had taken both teenagers some time to find a working line. The ride itself had been uneventful and silent in most parts. Nervousity had been a constant guest to both of them. Even if the swap might have been the best plan they could rely on at the moment, there were still so many things that could go wrong, so many chances he could screw up majorly. After Marinette had left at the previous station near the Eiffel Tower, Adrien had become aware of this more than ever before. He already had forgotten half of the many things His Lady had told him about her home and when the vehicle pulled near his school, the imminent feeling of doom grew.

"Relax. You will do just fine," a small voice beneath him said and when he looked down, Tikki peeked out of the bag Marinette always wore at her side. Adrien's eyes returned to the window. The bakery was in plain sight now. "I hope you are right."

The doorbell rung when he pushed the front door open. Mrs. Cheng stood behind the counter and as her eyes fell upon who she thought to be her next customer, the calm expression on her face broke apart. There was a flash of surprise, which then again was replaced by endless relief.

Only now Adrien realized that she probably must have worried all the time after her girl had started being late, and guiltily, the teenage model tried to think of a good excuse, tried to imagine what Lady… Marinette would say. Luckily, his classmate's mother took that from him. While he was still fishing for words and stood at the entrance awkwardly, the small woman emerged from the table and closed the distance between them with quick steps.

Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a short but tight embrace. Adrien's heart stumbled, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of warmth that flooded his chest and washed away the light shock that had left him frozen in place. He allowed himself to lean into the touch a little before he remembered he should return this show of affection if he didn't want to make himself suspicious. Lightly squeezing Mrs. Cheng's shoulders, he reluctantly pulled himself away a little.

"I'm okay…" he said and then faltered for a second. The next word rested heavy on his tongue while memories of happy days mingled with the image of his father's pained face whenever he had tried to talk about her. To make it easier on them both, he had promised to himself to not use it anymore. "…mom."

Her hands remained on his upper arms as her eyes moved over her daughter's body critically. "Really," Adrien added quickly and hoped he sounded convincing.

Sabine let out a breath.

„I am glad you're back home safely." Her painted lips turned into a crooked smile that also very well could have been the one of a certain, dotted heroine. "Although I sometimes wonder why we bought you a smartphone at all."

There was a certain softness to her words that made even the critique sound welcoming as it just expressed just how much she cared. Looking into those kind, grey eyes, it wasn't hard to respond naturally.

"Sorry. There was a bit of chaos after the new villains' attack, but Ladybug she… saved me," he replied and actually didn't have to lie with that. She had saved him in so many ways today.

"Our girl was saved by Paris' hero?" a man's voice sounded from the other side of the room. Adrien peeked over Sabine's shoulder to find the broad figure of Marinette's father filling out the doorframe behind her.

Albeit his face was warm and open, the teenager felt his back straighten involuntarily. Too often he had received a harsh reprimand when his father had taken notice of Adrien's lateness. But his distress soon settled for confusion when nothing of that sort came down on him and a bit lost he stared at the big man who just kept looking back at him expectantly and curiously. And then he became aware of Mrs. Cheng's suspicious glance studying his features. "Fa… dad!" he exclaimed at last and mustered apologetic smile. He nodded in reply to his question.

"Yes. She was awesome."

Tom grinned and stepped closer.

"I'm sure she was not as awesome as my daughter, though. Welcome back home, sweetie."

He wrapped his big arms around the two women and pressed them against his chest. Dizzied by the love that enveloped him in every literal way, Adrien just followed the motion while the embers of his heart became ablaze with so much emotion that it hurt a little.

"Let's treat you some dinner and then you can tell us the whole story."

The dinner with Marinette's parents had probably been the funniest and liveliest of his entire life. He had enjoyed the casual and relaxed atmosphere at the small table, the vivid chatter and the delicious food. Time had passed quickly and nightfall had come fast and now that he was climbing up the wooden stairs to Marinette's room, he felt the exhaustion fully crashing down on him. This day had been more than just a wild ride, mentally as physically, and after closing the hatch behind him, he did nothing but stand there for a long moment to let the impressions sink in. A movement on hip-level brought him back to reality and reminded him to open the dotted purse bag his classmate's kwami was still hiding in.

Tikki flew out of it instantly. It was a merry sound she made when she breathed in the fresh air in the motion. She stopped at the height of Adrien's face, floating in front of it and looking at him brightly. "See? I told you Marinette's parents are nice."

He smiled a bittersweet smile and put a hand to his chest.

"Yes, they are."

Marinette was so lucky to have them, he thought, keeping the words to himself.

Shaking his head, he then took a step forward while Tikki dashed aside so he could see what was going to be his quarter for the night. The place where his Lady spent her days when she wasn't fighting evil.

The room was dominated by hues of violet, pink and white but without looking tacky. Traces of the creative soul that inhabited this space were visible in every corner – the owner had put a lot of care in all the little accessories and details of the decoration. It was testament to an inspiring and loving spirit. Bright, warm and cozy. It felt like home. Like her.

When his eyes came across the wall above her office desk, however, he couldn't help but utter a small snort. From the several pictures that covered the spot above the table his very self was staring back at him. He didn't know she was a fan of him. But he guessed there were a lot of things he didn't know about his Lady yet and was eager to learn.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tikki asked after Adrien had remained silent for a while.

"Yeah. I hope Marinette is as well."

 _·_

The covers of Adrien's huge bed were cold when Marinette crept below them. Changing for the night had been awkward, although it had been the less traumatizing part of toilet routine. Never before in her life had Marinette thought so intensively about flower fields, sunshine and hamsters.

With her muscles resting heavy on the fluffy mattress, she silently wondered if her classmate and crush had gone through the same troubles and horror in that body that wasn't his own, if he… he… unable to finish her thought, her stomach dissolved into a mess of nervous knots and she blushed furiously. The temperature in the room had suddenly risen about at least a million degrees. Her skin was burning with heat and a pulse of shock and embarrassment ribboned through her whole being as for the first time of today, the full extent of the trade revealed itself before her: Adrien Agreste, the boy she was in love with, was stuck in her body and about to learn every little detail of it.

Trying to remember her morning routine the feeling of panic increased.

Had… had she put on a fitting set of underwear this morning? She didn't know. Used a nice perfume? She had no clue. Shaved her legs?! She had no recollection of it… at all!

Oh god, oh dearest kindest gods, please, please, please, that couldn't be true. She impossibly could have forgotten to do all those things… this would be… be… a grown-out catastrophe! What was Adrien going to think if he discovered that he was stuck in a smelly body with bushy, hairy legs? He sure would think she was some kind of savage who didn't care for herself at all. Oh god. Please not.

Dying of shame, Marinette grabbed the seam of the blanket and stared at the ceiling.

"Oh, having a moment of revelation?" a scratchy voice teased her and the girl's eyes moved to Plagg. The teenager then forced a nod. She was sure her face was to ignite every second. The kwami replied with an amused snicker. "This is too funny. Tell me more."

She shot him an annoyed glare before she exhaled audibly and adjusted her ragged breath to a more normal pattern again. With his snarky remarks Plagg sure was quite different from Tikki – yet she was thankful for his company. He made this overwhelming manor less… lonely. Because that was what it was, with its empty halls and the cool indifference she had experienced especially during dinner.

Her next heartbeat came with a little flare of pain and also guilt.

She realized how little she knew about Adrien beyond what the glossy magazines told her. He was so warm and bright and kind, so talented and considerate, and although the manor always had seemed kind of intimidating to her from the outside she somehow never had questioned the life inside these walls to be less perfect as the boy she loved. And sure the young model could call all money could buy and more his own… yet there was an impersonal touch to almost everything here. It was hard to imagine that Adrien called a cold place like this his home.

Staring a little while longer into the darkness that had engulfed the high ceiling of the room, she heard Plagg shift on the other side of the huge pillow and turned her head.

"Do you think he's ok?" she asked quietly. The kwami's emerald eyes fixed on her, but before the little creature could reply to her question, an alarm on Adrien's smartphone went off. Picking it up, Marinette found a message sent from her own phone.

Although…

"… princess?" she mumbled when she read the word Adrien had put in brackets behind her name in the contacts. She frowned. Why would he…?

And then she blushed once more as she remembered the incident with Nathanael and it came to her that, yes, all of this had been Adrien, too. She never would have thought that this nickname bore such a special meaning to him. Back then Marinette had thought Chat Noir had just been overly dramatic and flashy again.

Holding the mobile device in her hands, her irises moved down to her classmate's actual message.

' _How are you doing?_ ' the letters read, and while she thought about her answer, she saw the app indicating that he was typing once more. ' _Of course you don't have to reply if you are asleep already.'_ An all so small giggle parted from her lips. Where the first line gave her the impression of Adrien shyly inquiring about her state, it was definitely her partner speaking through the next few ones; she knew this kind of humor just too well. It was sweet, she reckoned, her heart thudding lightly.

' _Silly kitty_ ,' she wrote without a second thought before she quickly added, ' _I'm still awake and okay, thank you._ '

' _I'm glad to hear that, My Lady._ '

She couldn't help but smile at the moniker he used for her during their fights and patrols. Between all the awkwardness and confusion this light-hearted banter felt natural and made her feel less lost in this oversized, empty house.

' _How are things at home?_ ' she typed back.

' _Fine. Don't worry._ '

Adrien had replied without hesitation and Marinette felt a little more at ease. She should have trusted him right from the start with that, he never let her down. Not as Chat Noir nor as Adrien.

' _…_ _see you at school tomorrow?_ '

She looked down at the new message the teenage boy had added to the chat.

School. Of course, they would have school tomorrow. Marinette groaned. That 'tiny' detail had completely slipped her mind until now – every minute after the swap had been a small challenge that had left her no time to think about anything except the very next step. She rubbed her forehead, starting to doubt if this whole charade really had been the best idea. Home-life was one thing, but school a complete different one. Chloe would be there. And she would need to be nice to Chloe. Or considerate, at least – she hated it already, because that meant she most likely would have to lie when it came to the blonde's tantrums. And Alya would also be there. This might pose an even bigger problem, because as much as she valued her friendship to the girl from Martinique, curiosity was her best friend's biggest trait and fault at the same time. Couldn't they just go out on night patrol and hunt the twins down like… right now?

"I don't know if I can do that," she sighed, looking discouraged at the phone in her palms.

"Hm? You give up already?" Plagg asked and lifted his head from the crease of the pillow he had chosen as his sleeping place.

"I…"

Was she really doing this? Giving up?

' _My Lady?_ '

"…no," she voiced, watching the two words on the screen that stood there like a reminder.

"I'm still Ladybug, ain't I?"

"Here we go with the deep questions again," Plagg commented, but he fell silent when Marinette gave him a pat on the head, a small smile gracing her features. The kwami appeared to be a little surprised when she pulled back, saying: "What would I do without you two?"

"I don't know, but as you seem so thankful you could treat me with a nice, big camembert tomorrow," he replied cannily.

She gave the small glutton beneath her a light poke against the belly. "I'll think about it."

The smartphone made another sound upon the arrival of the next line Adrien had sent.

' _Are you still with me?_ '

' _Sorry, yes. See you tomorrow!_ '

' _Good night then, My Lady_.'

' _Good night._ '

In the fading light of the phone's display that illuminated her face, Marinette felt a strange but warm emotion unravel in her chest. Once again her partner had easily known what to say to bring her back on the right path. One day she really had to thank him for that, she owed him so much.

Eyelids growing heavy, the teenager put the phone aside at last and sunk back onto the pillow. She felt blackness dragging at her consciousness heavily and she yawned. "Good night, Plagg," the bakers' daughter slurred, the words thick with sleep already. It wasn't going to be easy, this next day, but together they could probably make it, she thought, before drifting into a deep, dreamless slumber.


End file.
